D epartment
of
M edicine
Con ne c ti ng T e c h n o lo g y , Ed uca t i o n a n d Di s c ove ry w ith H um anis m in Me dicine
Vol. 5, Issue 4: Oct. 2016
REACT: A Resource for Patients Discharged from the Hospital
An estimated thirty-five million patients were discharged after admission to the hospital in the United States alone in 2010. Amongst the Medicare population, approximately 20% of patients were readmitted within 30 days. This high frequency of readmissions prompted the launch of multiple nationwide initiatives to investigate and improve hospital discharge processes. Here at UTMC, we responded to this need with the creation of the Rapid Evaluation and Care Transition (REACT) Clinic. REACT Clinic provides hospital follow-up appointments for patients recently discharged from UT Medical Center. Named
by Dr. Jack Lacey, then-Chief Medical Officer, the REACT Clinic launched in July 2015 in an effort to bridge care between the inpatient and outpatient settings. The primary goals are to clarify medication changes and discharge instructions, check repeat labs, and transition patients back to their primary care providers. Timely hospital follow-up is a crucial aspect to patient care. Hospitalizations far too often inadvertently inundate patients with new diagnoses, unfamiliar terminology, and multiple medication changes. Discharge instructions can be extensive continued on page 2 and overwhelm patients. Despite the
Points of View
him safely to Earth.” This “moon shot,” as it is widely known, encapsulated the aspirations of the nation, set a definite goal, and a timetable to achieve it by. The collective efforts of many resulted in the moon landing on July 20, 1969 and Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, thereby fulfilling President Kennedy’s prophecy and firmly establishing the pre-eminence of the United States in space. During his State of the Union address earlier this year, President Obama announced a “moon shot” on cancer. The initiative to find a cure for cancer is led by Vice President Joe Biden whose son, Beau, succumbed to brain cancer last year. This initiative will focus the energies of cancer researchers all across America and the world to find better methods for preventing and treating cancers in children and adults. continued on page 2 We hope these efforts will be just as
In the spring of 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first man in space. This event led to the widespread perception that the Soviet Union was ahead of the United States in the “Space Race.” President John F. Kennedy was determined to demonstrate that the U.S. was a leader in space exploration. In a speech to a joint session of Congress he proposed Rajiv Dhand, MD, Chair that… “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning 1